Singer says she was drunk during the national anthem

Country singer Ingrid Andress apologized on Tuesday, saying she was drunk after a widely criticized performance of the U.S. national anthem at the MLB Home Run Derby.

“I am checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need,” she wrote on Instagram. “That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans and this country I love so much for that portrayal.”

The MLB is not commenting, said spokesman Matt Bourne.

On Monday night, the four-time Grammy nominee belted out an a cappella version of The Star-Spangled Banner, an incredibly challenging song, and clips of her less popular performance at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, went viral.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sure Ingrid Andress is a wonderful person, but that was, I think, one of the worst national anthems I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” Sports Illustrated writer Alex Carr wrote on X.

Andress, 32, who began her career as a songwriter in Nashville, released her debut album, Lady Like, in 2020. Her breakthrough single, “More Hearts Than Mine,” reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the list for 20 weeks.

Her appearance in Arlington quickly made the rounds on social media.

Vulture blogger Bethy Squires joked that Andress sang the national anthem “in italics,” a reference to a neologism popular online that refers to pop singers who stretch vowels to emphasize the sound of their voice.

Chris Wright, editor-in-chief of Saturday Down South, was a little more sensitive.

“I love Ingrid Andress’s music and have seen her in concert,” he wrote on X. “After listening to the national anthem, I have a whole new respect for her producers and sound crew. Wow.”

In the pantheon of the most controversial renditions of the national anthem at sporting events, Roseanne Barr’s rendition at a San Diego Padres game in 1990 and Fergie’s at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game elicited similar reactions.